Seat hinge



Abri-lzl, 194-2. p, NORDMARK 2280,2 98] SEAT HINGE Filed o i. a, 193'? I 2Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS.

Y April 21, 1942 H.P.N.ORDMARK 2,230,298

SEAT HINGE Filed Oct. 8, 195'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR; I Henry B Mrdmark.

Pat t d Apr. 21, 1942 SEAT HINGE Henry Pr Nordmark, Grand Rapids, lvfich., assignor to American Seating, Company, Grand Rapids, Mich, acorporation of Ne w Jersey Application October 8,1937, SerialNo. 1fi7,863

is Claims (01. lass-s) The present invention relatesto seat hinges and more particularly toa hinge provided with a resilient seat supporting member.

The primary objects of theinstantinvention are to provide a seat hinge of the general character above indicated which: is especially well adapted for use in conjunction with chairs of the opera type; 'to provide such a hingewhoseresilient seat supporting member causes the seat to be tilted upwardly when unoccupied, permitting ready and convenient ingress and egress of persons passing the unoccupied seat; to provide such a hinge whose resilient seat supporting member is torsionally twisted when the seat is occupied and which is reversely torsionally twisted when the occupant of the seat arises therefrom and structure is, bym y hinge, mounted on the structures standard members II] for urging turning forces the seat beyond its normally tilted position to permit passage of another in front of the occupant of the seat; and, to provide such a hinge which is novel in construction, utilitarian in use, and economical in manufacture.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a row of chairs of the opera type whose seats which are hingedly mounted and resiliently supported upon novel type hinges are shown in their position when occupied;

Figure 2 is a sectional view thereof on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view in part on line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing a pair of the hinges of the instant invention secured on opposite sides of a chair supporting standard;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 of Figure 3 but indicating the resilient seat supporting mounting torsionally twisted to the position it assumes when the seat is occupied;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a perspectiveview of the hinge per se.

Figures 8, 9, 10 are fragmentary perspective views of the chair seat in different positions of use.

Referring then to the drawings wherein like parts of the chair and its seat hinge are all designated by the same numerals in the several views, the structure comprises a pair of spaced vertically disposed chair supporting standards II] having arm rests II, upholstered backs l2, and seats l3 having an upholstered covering M.

The seat member 13 of the illustrated chair movement toward the raised position ,seen, in Figure- Band for yieldingly turning movement toward the lowered position of use seen in Figure. 9, and for cushioning the weight of itsoccupant as shown in that view. 1

This hinge comprises an axially horizontal and approximately cylindrical block or hub l8 of resilient material, as rubbensecuredin fixed relationinwardly to the standard member l0 and outwardly to the seat member I3 and 'is1thustorsionally twisted in the turning movement of the seat member.

As illustrated, this block has an axial bore 2! non-turnably receiving tightly the spindle Hi on,

and extending inwardly from, the standard memon the seat l3 by the following means. The block is secured at its bore to the spindle as by vulcanizing it throughout its length thereon; the block is secured at its inner end to the flanged cup 26 which is tight on the spindle; the flanged cup 28 tight on the spindle is secured on the inner side of a deep annular groove l9 formed in the outer end of the block and concentric with the spindle; and a ring 29 concentric with the spindle has a middle web portion 30, an inner, flange 3| and an outer, flange 32, the web portion being secured to the outer end of the block,

the inner flange to the outer side of said groove and the outer flange to the periphery of the block adjacent its outer end, said outer flange being secured as by welding to the rim 33 of the seats base or pa 25 through which rim the outer end of the block extends.

It will be seen that by thus securing the center portion of the block 5 on the spindle and. its

radially outward portion (beyond the groove I9) on the seat, said outward portion of the block is more readily twisted than the blocks said untwisting of the blocks said outward portion (as indicated in Figure 4), from the seats momentary extreme position (Fig. 10) to the normal tilted position seen in Figure 8.

It will also be seen that by securing the seat on said radially outward portion of the block (beyond the groove I 9) and at one end of the block, lines of torsional twist extend helically from one end of the block to the other. The weight of the occupant of the seat is cushioned by the block, in its radial direction, on the spindle.

The hinge herein shown and described is thus novel in construction, utilitarian in use and economical in manufacture and-while but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that certain details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as the same i is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A seat hinge for a chair comprising a spindle, a resilient hub member around said spindle and fixed at its inner portion thereto, said resilient hub member having an axial annular groove circumscribing said spindle, a cap fixedly embracing said spindle and fixed to and engaging one end of said hub, said cap having a peripheral flange fixedly set into said groove, a

ring having. a pair of annular flanges to one of which a seat is adapted to be fixedly: secured,

one flange being fixedly set into said groove and the other of said flanges embracing a portion of the circumference of said hub member, a second cap fixedly embracing said spindle and fixedly engaging the other end of said hub member, and means at one end of said spindle for non-rotatable attachment to a chair standard.

2. In a chair, a pair of spaced vertically disposed standards, a spindle fixedly secured to each standard and projecting laterally therefrom, a resilient hub member having a central bore therein, said hub member embracing the spindle and being secured thereto coextensively of the walls of said bore, one end of said hub member being formed with an' annular groove concentric with the. spindle, said groove providing an annular ring-like flange in the body of the hub member and at one end thereof, and a seat member fixedly secured to the outer rim of the flange.

3. In a chair, a standard, a seat, and a hinge for supporting and urging the seat to upwardly tilted position on the standard, said hinge comprising a non-rotatable spindle member extending inwardly from the standard and a resilient block; member sin-rounding the spindle, secured at one of its ends at least in non-turnable relation to the spindle and having in its other end a deep concentric groove, said block member being secured at its said other end radially outwardly of the groove in non-turnable relation to the seat.

HENRY P. NORDMARK. 

